The tenure of Education Secretary Arne Duncan — in his own sometimes startling words
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who took office in 2009, is stepping down in December as the most powerful federal education chief in the department’s history. He involved the federal government in areas that traditionally had been left to states — such as teacher evaluation systems and standards — in a controversial tenure that has prompted Congress to consider legislation that would reduce the federal role in public education.
Here are a few of the sometimes startling things that he has said over the years that, when looked at together, reveal his reform mind-set — and something about his reaction to his critics, many of whom had hoped that the Obama administration would focus federal education policy on issues such as inequitable school funding and support services for children who live in poverty.
And so we have to stop lying to children. We have to tell them the truth. We have to be transparent about our data. We have to raise the bar so that every child knows on every step of their educational trajectory what they’re going to do.
In this May 29, 2009, speech at the National Press Club, Duncan sets himself and his Education Department as the truth-tellers in education. Here he is is talking about how states have set low bars for students to pass, and he is encouraging them to adopt — or congratulating them for adopting — the Common Core State Standards. These are standards in math and English Language Arts that were, by 2013, approved in full by 45 states and the District of Columbia in what Duncan said was an effort to raise standards and allow legitimate comparisons of student test scores across states. The initial bipartisan support of the Core was a big triumph for Duncan, but as questions were raised about who wrote and funded them, as well as the content of some of the standards, Duncan found himself on the defensive, with some states dropping them or re-branding them.
Duncan’s “we have to stop lying” phrase became something of a mantra. He repeated it, or some version of it, frequently:
February 2010 to the National Governors Association: “We have to stop lying to children. We have to look them in the eye and tell them the truth at every stage of their educational trajectory.”
March 2010 to the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference:“We simply have to stop dummying-down standards due to political pressures. We have to stop lying to children and families by giving them a low bar and telling them that they will be okay, when we know they are not adequately prepared to go on to college or a job.”
August 2010 in Little Rock: “I congratulate your state, Arkansas, on taking this bold step for your students last month. These higher standards are an absolute game-changer — as a country we will finally stop dummying-down standards, and stop lying to our children and their families.”
October 2010 at a Council on Foreign Relations event: “We have to stop lying The tenure of Education Secretary Arne Duncan — in his own sometimes startling words - The Washington Post:
